26
Nov

Mowat Centre Annual Report 2014

Mowat Centre’s annual report provides an overview of our publications, activities and public policy impact for the 2013-14 year.

Director’s Message

In the following pages we present our 2013-14 annual report. Our fifth year was an exciting period of growth and transition and we are proud to report on another year of significant achievements.

Building on our core strengths, we continued to be Ontario’s leading evidence-based voice on intergovernmental social and economic policy. Our research influenced the public conversation on Canada’s fiscal arrangements, immigration, Ontario’s economy, affordable housing, poverty reduction and other key issues. Our expertise was in high demand from stakeholders and decision-makers looking for a non-partisan, rigorous and impactful research partner.

In 2013-14, we undertook our first strategic planning process to sharpen our focus and create five-year goals. This first Strategic Plan is enabling us to put in place new operational systems, manage our growth, and take advantage of emerging opportunities. We also began to develop Too Long; Didn’t Read (TLDR), a more accessible and sharable digital channel to communicate our research and policy recommendations to a broader audience.

As part of our commitment to the highest academic standards, we established an editorial board of academic experts to review our work and advise us on major reports. We also established the position of Chief Economist to provide consistent and rigorous economic analysis of our work.

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How to quantify and report on impact is a significant challenge that faces all public policy think tanks. This year, we decided to meet this challenge. For the first time, we are attempting to measure our impact both qualitatively and quantitatively. In this year’s annual report we provide a glimpse of our approach and some of the metrics and indicators we are exploring. A five-year impact analysis will follow in 2014-15, and we look forward to feedback on how we can refine and improve our approach.

We also want to express our continuing gratitude to the University of Toronto and the School of Public Policy & Governance for their ongoing support and encouragement. The School and the administration have provided a nurturing intellectual environment that both enriches our work and enables us to have a meaningful impact on Canada’s public policy conversation.